Instant Pot Crispy Carnitas

This Instant Pot Carnitas recipe is quick and easy to make in the pressure cooker, perfectly crispy and juicy, and so delicious!

This Instant Pot carnitas recipe is a game-changer. ♡

After years and years of making my go-to crispy pork carnitas recipe in the slow cooker — letting the pork slowly and steadily simmer all day long until it is perfectly tender and shred-able — I’ve now become a total convert to making pressure cooker carnitas instead.

Why? Well mainly, this Instant Pot carnitas recipe is just crazy fast. Instead of having to plan 5-8 hours in advance to make carnitas in the slow cooker, this pressure cooker carnitas recipe can be ready to go from start to finish in just over 1 hour, making this recipe legit do-able on a weeknight or anytime you’re craving some carnitas stat. It also succeeds in making carnitas that are extra-juicy and crispy, thanks to a quick broil in the oven and a toss in those leftover cooking juices after the Instant Pot has worked its magic. It’s also seasoned with a zesty garlic-citrus mojo sauce, making each bite of pork extra flavorful even before any extra salsas or toppings are added. But more than anything, I just love this carnitas recipe because it is irresistibly, unfailingly, crowd-pleasingly, gotta-go-back-for-seconds-(and-thirds)-ingly, deliciously GOOD.

Bonus — it’s also good served up so many ways! These carnitas are, of course, absolutely fabulous served up in tortillas as carnitas tacos. But if you’re looking for a different spin on carnitas (especially if you have leftovers and want to mix things up a bit for the second round), these carnitas are also delicious served up in burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas, tostadas, salads, or even in carnitas soup as well.

So if you are a fellow fan of carnitas, pull out your pressure cooker and let’s make a batch together!

Instant Pot Carnitas | 1-Minute Video

Carnitas Ingredients:

To make pork carnitas in the Instant Pot(affiliate link), you will need the following ingredients:

How To Make Carnitas:

To make this pork carnitas recipe, simply…

Make the mojo sauce. Whisk together those garlicky citrus sauce ingredients until combined.

Season and sear the pork. Generously season the pork chunks with salt and pepper. Then use the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot to briefly sear the pork on all sides in a bit of oil. You might need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your Instant Pot.

Pressure cook. Add the sauce to the pork, then pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, followed by a natural release.

Shred. Once the pork is cooked, go ahead and give it a good shred with two forks.

(Optional) Broil. Then — if you want the carnitas to be nice and crispy — spread the shredded pork out in an even layer on a large baking sheet, and spoon about 1/3 of the remaining juices from the Instant Pot evenly on top of the pork. Pop the baking sheet into the oven for about 4-5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork are golden and crispy. Then remove from the oven, give the pork a good toss with half of the remaining juices, and broil for 4-5 more minutes. Remove from the oven, toss with the remaining juices and…

Instructions

To Make The Instant Pot Crispy Carnitas:

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the mojo sauce ingredients until combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Season pork chunks on all sides with salt and pepper.

Click the “Sauté” setting on the Instant Pot. Add the oil, followed by half of the pork, and sear — turning every 45-60 seconds or so — until the pork is browned on all sides. Transfer pork to a separate clean plate, and repeat with the remaining pork, searing until it has browned on all sides. Press “Cancel” to turn off the heat.

Pour in the mojo sauce, and toss briefly to combine with the pork. Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”.

Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, followed by a natural release (about 15 minutes).

Set the oven broiler to high heat.

Remove the lid of the Instant Pot. Shred the pork with two forks. Then transfer it with a slotted spoon to a large baking sheet. Spoon about a third of the leftover juices evenly on top of the pork and toss to combine. Broil for 4-5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin browning and crisping up. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, then half of the remaining juices from the Instant Pot evenly over the pork and toss to combine. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat even more crispy. Remove baking sheet from the oven, then ladle the remaining juices over the pork, and toss to combine.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro, then serve warm in tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever sounds good to you! Or, refrigerate pork in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Pineapple Salsa: To make the fresh pineapple salsa recipe, just mix together the follow ingredients until combined:

I made this tonight, and it turned ouf perfectly! I didn’t make the salsa but served it with a Peruvian salsa criolla. Would be great in tacos or vurritos too. This will definitely be a go-to recipe from now on!

Well you must have a sous chef helping you prep because there’s no way this took 5 min to prep. By the time the garlic was peeled and minced and the limes were juiced the pork was trimmed and cut up, and all the ingredients assembled, it was closer to a 20 min prep..
I did add some chili powder, cayenne, and smoked paprika to the sauce. But it cooked perfectly in my first instant pot use. Can’t wait to have it for tacos tomorrow and I’m anxious to try the elote dip.

Trying to find recipes that everyone in our family will eat is next to impossible. I decided to try this one night and see how it fared. Everyone LOVED it! Both of our teenagers (who like very different things) ate several street tacos and instantly requested it be added into my regular rotation. Just 2 nights ago my step son asked if there was any way I could make it again because he has been craving it! He won’t eat leftovers , except for this, he uses the leftover meat to make quesadillas. He prefers his with spicy jalapeno salsa , my daughter like it with mild and I prefer the pineapple salsa. So I just cook the meat and have everything out so they can make their own.